A TEAR ran down the face of Michael Katsidis when he learnt he would most likely never fight again.

But despite the raw, painful emotions swirling through the mind of the Toowoomba fighter devastated by the results of a damning medical report, he turned to his trainer Johnny Lewis and said "Thank you''.

Katsidis had started training with Lewis, Australia's most successful boxing coach, late last year with a view to rebuilding his career and chasing another world championship.

It was Lewis who had insisted that Katsidis, 32, have stringent CAT scans and MRI tests at a Sydney clinic before he fought again. Lewis was justifiably worried about the health of the fearsome brawler, a 2000 Olympian whose face-first slugging style carried him through 20 years of hard fights around the world as an amateur and professional.

Katsidis, who twice held versions of the world lightweight title, was due to fight Filipino Weng Haya in Melbourne on February 21 in a bout he hoped would revitalise his career after four losses in five fights.

But yesterday Katsidis was forced to post on his Facebook page: ``Unfortunately I have had to pull out of my fight on feb 21st. I have a story to tell and I will be telling it, but right now I need to talk with my family, management as well as medical staff. Thanks for your support and understanding.'' Lewis said the news was heartbreaking - but in boxing it was always better to be safe than sorry. "Rather than be really sad, we should be glad that Michael is not going into a fight with a question mark over his health,'' he said. "He wants to speak to his family first before announcing anything but really I'm glad the tests have stopped him fighting before something really bad happened. "Boxing is a tough sport and it's no good taking chances with your health. Michael is a great bloke with a wife and young daughter and he has so much in his life to be happy about even though this chapter of his boxing career is closing.''

It is a double blow for Katsidis whose brother, star jockey Stathi, died in Brisbane after an all-night bender in 2010.

I am sad, and happy at the same time. I know after watching his last 2 fights he SHOULD retire. But I will still miss him.

I have never rooted so hard for anyone as I did Kats. When he knocked JMM down i almost puked from excitement. I wanted him to win so bad. And then the post fight interview where he broke down over his brother? one of the saddest things I have ever seen.

None the less he was in some great fights, gave world class fighters all they could handle and cemented his legacy as one of the most exciting fighters of our era.

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Khodder Nasser has labelled Francois Botha "a sore loser" after the South African claimed he was offered $150,000 to throw his fight against Sonny Bill Williams.

Botha alleges Nasser, Williams's manager, had offered him the sum in a Brisbane park on Tuesday last week, three days before the supposed World Boxing Association (WBA) title fight which Williams won on points.

Botha's remarkable claim is the latest twist in a scandal that has also included a positive drug test and claims the fight was ended two rounds too early.

Nasser says the 44-year-old Botha needs to come to terms with the fact he "got his ass whipped" by Williams.

"I think he (Botha) is still in a daze," Nasser said.

"This is the same bloke who said he didn't know about the fight being 10 rounds, and then his promoter and he himself came out later and said it was 10 rounds.

"Then he said he wasn't drugs tested and then he said he was tested, then he said he was tested by my brother, and now he has come up with this one (bribe allegations). What is next?

"The fact the media is loving this sore loser must be unprecedented, the media is siding with a guy who has got sour grapes.

"He has got to come to terms with the reality that he got his ass whipped by a guy (Sonny Bill Williams) who had had only five fights.

"It is all well and good to come out with all these allegations after, but where's his manhood? Why wasn't it bought out the day before? It's absolute madness.

"If it happened like he said, why didn't he come out and report it then - or does it suit him now?"

Botha made the allegation against Nasser on a New Zealand radio station on Wednesday morning.

Speaking from Durban, Botha said he received a phone call from Nasser asking him to be picked up but to be alone.

"I wasn't told where I was going. As we stopped at a park, my cellphone was confiscated and was given to a guy in the car," Botha said.

"Then I was being walked (by Nasser), and during this walk, I was offered $150,000 to throw the fight.

"I just said `no, I can't do it'."

Botha confided in a close friend when he returned to his hotel and they decided then to take the matter no further.

"He could clearly see I was very upset. He told me `Francois, if you are even thinking about doing this, I'm going to get on the plane and go back to South Africa'."

The fight has been mired in controversy, most notably over the length of the fight, which was completed after 10 rounds.

Both sides have disputed what they understood the length of the fight should be, with Botha still adamant he had prepared for a 12-round affair.

He finished strongly and says another two rounds would have been enough to secure victory over tiring former All Black Williams.

The South African is also dismayed by reports he had failed a pre-fight drug test, which reportedly revealed the presence of a banned stimulant.

Nasser said the testing process was credible, which Botha disputes.

He said he had been drug tested upon return to South Africa and the results were "all clear".

Doubts have also been raised about whether the WBA actually sanctioned the bout, and if Williams' claim on the title is legitimate.

A TEAR ran down the face of Michael Katsidis when he learnt he would most likely never fight again.

But despite the raw, painful emotions swirling through the mind of the Toowoomba fighter devastated by the results of a damning medical report, he turned to his trainer Johnny Lewis and said "Thank you''.

Katsidis had started training with Lewis, Australia's most successful boxing coach, late last year with a view to rebuilding his career and chasing another world championship.

It was Lewis who had insisted that Katsidis, 32, have stringent CAT scans and MRI tests at a Sydney clinic before he fought again. Lewis was justifiably worried about the health of the fearsome brawler, a 2000 Olympian whose face-first slugging style carried him through 20 years of hard fights around the world as an amateur and professional.

Katsidis, who twice held versions of the world lightweight title, was due to fight Filipino Weng Haya in Melbourne on February 21 in a bout he hoped would revitalise his career after four losses in five fights.

But yesterday Katsidis was forced to post on his Facebook page: ``Unfortunately I have had to pull out of my fight on feb 21st. I have a story to tell and I will be telling it, but right now I need to talk with my family, management as well as medical staff. Thanks for your support and understanding.'' Lewis said the news was heartbreaking - but in boxing it was always better to be safe than sorry. "Rather than be really sad, we should be glad that Michael is not going into a fight with a question mark over his health,'' he said. "He wants to speak to his family first before announcing anything but really I'm glad the tests have stopped him fighting before something really bad happened. "Boxing is a tough sport and it's no good taking chances with your health. Michael is a great bloke with a wife and young daughter and he has so much in his life to be happy about even though this chapter of his boxing career is closing.''

It is a double blow for Katsidis whose brother, star jockey Stathi, died in Brisbane after an all-night bender in 2010.

I am sad, and happy at the same time. I know after watching his last 2 fights he SHOULD retire. But I will still miss him.

I have never rooted so hard for anyone as I did Kats. When he knocked JMM down i almost puked from excitement. I wanted him to win so bad. And then the post fight interview where he broke down over his brother? one of the saddest things I have ever seen.

None the less he was in some great fights, gave world class fighters all they could handle and cemented his legacy as one of the most exciting fighters of our era.

his effort with Casamayor was a great show!

I feel for Kats, he came so close to that marquee win a couple of times.Was winning against Casamayor even knocking hom through the ropes.Knocked JMM on his ass hard in their fight.Lost a close dec to Diaz.. Back when he was a big deal.Ow well, he did beat the shit out of Kevin Mitchell and Graham Earl.

^^^ Me too, If I could change one thing I would've no doubt kept his brother home from wherever he was going that night. He was never really the same after his passing.

and Lol at that presser pic. Looks like Rees is aleady getting the earful.

Article Link - http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=62341#ixzz2KpJpTF4CThis is a legal waiver. By copying and using the material from this article, you agree to give full credit to BoxingScene.com or provide a link to the original article.

The unbeaten WBC lightweight champion called his challenger ugly, said his hands wouldn’t be able to miss Rees’ watermelon-sized head, mocked Rees’ height and repeatedly refused to properly pronounce Rees’ name. The 32-year-old Rees, who wasn’t nearly as amused as members of Broner’s entourage, eventually countered by stating during a press conference at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill that he can’t wait “to knock this prick out.”

“I don’t ever try to go for the KO,” Broner, 23, said after the press conference. “And then he said he was going to knock me out. Be serious, man. You don’t knock people out. You don’t knock people out. See, I’m starting to think he’s on that stuff Eloy Perez was on, because he said he was going to knock me out, too. And he was high.”

The light-punching Perez (23-1-2, 7 KOs), whom Broner battered on his way to a fourth-round knockout win last Feb. 25 in St. Louis, tested positive for cocaine following their fight.

lol, wonder if Broner will go to 140 and say the same things. I can see it now....."HEY LUCAS, drink all the fuckin amino 4500 you want!"

Also decided to post the official ranking for WBC WBO WBA and IBF Major titles, shows what company our man Leo will be in now that he's a Super Bantamweight. A crazy division if Broner moves up as well.

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By Miguel Rivera

According to World Boxing Council President Jose Sulaiman, there is a possibility that he might order a mandatory fight between WBC 154-pound champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (41-0-1, 30KOs) and top contender Erislandy Lara (17-1-2, 11KOs).

Lara fought Vanes Martirosyan in a final eliminator last November in Las Vegas. The fight ended in a nine round technical draw. The WBC ordered them to fight again, but Vanes passed on the fight.

Now the WBC is deciding if they plan to order Lara fight another top contender in a final eliminator or skip that option and instead order a fight between Canelo and Lara.

If Lara has to face another top contender, Sulaiman says the other challenger may not be Emanuele Della Rosa of Italy. Sulaiman has named EBU champion Sergey Rabchenko (22-0, 16KOs) as the other possible candidate to face Lara for a shot at Canelo.

"Vanes Martirosyan refused a rematch with Lara, which is why the WBC must now decide whether to vote for a mandatory fight between Canelo and Lara as official challenger, or find the highest available ranked challenger to fulfill the elimination bout with Lara and then the winner would face Canelo," Sulaiman said.

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By Miguel Rivera

World Boxing Council President Jose Sulaiman was informed that there are still ongoing negotiations to finalize a match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. (43-0, 26KOs) and Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero (31-1-1, 18KOs) for May 4th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Guerrero is the mandatory challenger to Mayweather's WBC welterweight championship.

Contrary to numerous reports, Sulaiman was told there are no financial issues on the side of Team Guerrero and the monetary figures were agreed upon several weeks ago.

Sulaiman continues to deny the possibility of Mayweather facing IBF champion Devon Alexander. Last week Mayweather named Alexander as "the frontrunner" to face him on May 4.

"When these things happen [Mayweather selecting his opponent], the WBC is always consulted and nobody has shared anything with us [about Alexander]. Based on what I've always known, there are ongoing negotiations with [Mayweather and] Guerrero - and it's a mandatory fight for both. I'd rather not talk about [this situation with Alexander]. All I know is that [Mayweather is] going to fight Guerrero, and everything else is just unverifiable" Sulaiman said.

"At the moment, negotiations are still going forward with Guerrero. If Guerrero steps aside and allows them to fight, I would have to verify that directly. But I would rather not get involved in these discussions about a subject that has not been proven to be true."

This is actually pretty cool to see. I think Floyd Sr has wanted this alot more than he admits and I re watched the Jr vs Hernandez fight no too long ago and saw the moment they had together after Floyd won the title. Be interesting to see how they merge/how Floyd performs.

Article Link - http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=62384#ixzz2KvSMCNypThis is a legal waiver. By copying and using the material from this article, you agree to give full credit to BoxingScene.com or provide a link to the original article.

BoxingScene.com has been advised by the Nevada State Athletic Commision that Golden Boy Promotions is moving their March 2nd event to Las Vegas. The card was scheduled to take place at the Apollo Theater in New York City, but on Monday the main event fell through when Jayson Velez, due to injury, withdrew from his fight with WBC featherweight Daniel Ponce De Leon.

The Showtime televised card will now shift to the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The event will be headlined by Richard Abril vs. Sharif Bogere, fighting for the vacant WBA lightweight world championship, and the co-featured bout will be Gary Russell Jr. vs. Vyacheslav Gusev in a ten round featherweight fight.

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